Phonics

At Excalibur Primary School we use the lively phonic programme ‘Read, Write, Inc. Phonics’ as a basis for our phonics teaching to children in Reception through to Year 2. Our aim is for our children to be able to read with accuracy and confidence, and above all to love reading.

At the heart of the programme is the lively and vigorous teaching of synthetic phonics. First children learn the common sounds in the English language and how to sound-blend words for reading. At the same time they develop skills of handwriting and spelling. A key element of the Read Write Inc. approach is that practice across the school is completely consistent. This is achieved because every member of staff delivering the programme is trained, coached and supported to be an expert in the teaching of phonics and reading.

When using RWI to read the children will:

• Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts
• Learn how to blend sounds with the use of ‘Green Words’
• Learn that there are a number of words that do not follow this phonetic code and they learn to read these as ‘Red Words’
• Learn to read words using Fred Talk (segmenting and blending)
• Read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out
• Show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions

At Excalibur Primary School children are taught phonics in ability groups which means that they are learning at the correct pace and level depending on their individual needs. All children are closely monitored and regularly assessed to make sure they are working in a group that is perfect for them.

Below you will find some short videos about our RWI programme and why it is important for you to read to your child on a regular basis.

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